Critical Impact & Jakes – The Illa [Clear Skyz]

Bristol producer Critical Impact teams up with the legendary MC Jakes to turn in one of the best MC led tunes the D&B scene has heard in some time. With an insistent steppers break, a grimey bassline and the smooth, laidback flows of Jakes laid over the top this is a sure fire winner; real hip-hop vibes. Watch out for this one coming out on Die’s Clear Skyz imprint from 28th October (4th Nov for the vinyl).

Akov – Construct EP [NeurofunkGrid]

NeurofunkGrid continue their convincing crusade to prove that free music can knock the socks off anything you paid money for with another top notch EP, this time from Akov. Construct kicks things off nicely with chunky beats, warped bass and a great switchup into drumstep rhythm halfway through the tune.

Negative Space dials things back a bit and heads for deep, growling territory with intricate, angular beats characterising the tune and the atmospherics and vocal samples lending the tune hints of IDM and Dub. Finally Rubix heads for heavy hitting neuro territory once again, but only after lulling us into a false sense of security with a funky intro and a catchy vocal hook.

Check out the beats below and head over to the NFG Facebook page for a free download!

Habitat – Can They Hear Me / Holdin’ It Down [E-Motion]

E-Motion have been going from strength to strength lately and their latest release from Habitat showcases the labels versatility with a pair of modern Jungle-tinged rollers. Can They Hear Me weighs in with heavy sub weight and dark vibes while Holdin’ It Down adds a hint of jazz to the mix with a more dancefloor oriented happy smasher.

With support from the likes of Ray Keith and Aries, jungle heads should definitely keep an eye on Habitat. Check out the beats below and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now!

Nickbee – Animal Rage EP [Eatbrain]

Jade’s Eatbrain imprint continues the assault on your ears with another EP of fresh neurofunk beats, this time from Ukrainian beatsmith Nickbee. Apollo 18 kicks things off with a heavy hitting roller; tasty sci-fi atmospherics on the intro give way to squelching bass action and hard snares, with a few echoing chord stabs thrown in for good measure. The titular Animal Rage builds suspense on a long intro with swelling pads, cymbals and strings all adding to the tension before a growling bass drop kicks things into gear.

Gain The Energy delivers more techie sci-fi business with a hypnotic lead that fans of Black Sun Empire are sure to love, before Nickbee throws us a curveball on Blackline, dropping the tempo down to 130 for a nice chunky breakbeat track with more teeth than the average. Neurobreaks? Whatever, it’s awesome. Check out the beats below and grab a copy on vinyl or digital now!

As if the hefty release wasn’t enough, Nickbee has also put together a slamming mix for episode 10 of the Eatbrain podcast. Check it out and grab a free download below.

Thrashpilot – Galaxian / One Armed Man [Killscreen]

Thrashpilot’s weird and wonderful assault on the 170BPM realm continues with the appropriately named Galaxian; an other-worldly, acid-techno infused slice of frenetic, wonky electronica that bears resemblance to most D&B only by virtue of heavy kicks and snares and a similar tempo. This one is hypnotic and hard hitting in equal measure.

Over on the flip One Armed Man heads back for traditional breaks but throws standard song structure out of the window as the eclectic producer takes us on a 10 minute epic journey that takes in a variety of different breaks and atmospheres, all with a distinctly dubby vibe.

Check out the clips below and watch out for the release at all good digital outlets from November 5th.

Digital & Spirit – Original Rockers / Redo [Phantom Audio]

The return of Digital & Spirit’s much revered Phantom Audio imprint earlier this year was met with much enthusiasm, especially given the top notch Fracture re-work of Phantom Force that sat on the A-side. Now the duo return with their first original material for the label in nearly a decade.

Original Rockers sets the tone with a huge slice of footwork infused half-step. Madcap syncopation and an infectious vocal sample sit over a weighty, dub style sub line on a tune that will doubtless be rocking dancefloors over the next few months.  Over on the flip Redo heads straight for full pelt dark jungle territory, skittering breaks on the intro giving way to a crisp, rolling beat and a classic reese in the main verse.

Check out the beats below and watch out for the release on vinyl and digital from November 4th.

Black Sun Empire – Variations on Black [Blackout]

Black Sun Empire return with yet another essential release for neurofunk fans everywhere as they open up their back catalogue for remixes from a selection of the biggest names in the scene. Among the best released so far are Noisia’s epic rework of Arrakis, State of Mind’s rolling rework of Don’t You and Chris.SU’s typically heavy hitting yet melodic rework of Fever. There are many more yet unheard tracks so keep an eye on soundcloud and youtube over the coming weeks rolling up to the release on November 18th.

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In addition BSE have teamed up with Beatport to allow folks the chance to win a bunch of Novation gear and a spot on the album by remixing their classic Noisia collaboration Hideous. Head on over to Beatport for the details and get to work!

Kid Droid – Project Onyx [Droidsong]

Droidsong take a break from their usual D&B output to give us an EP of glitch-hop and midtempo breaks from Kid Droid. Packing some serious bass punch and some excellent sound design, the EP seems to be aimed at both the dancefloor and the living room.

Onyx and They’re Coming For You gun the bass bins with some deadly sub and chunky breakbeat action before Guns drops the tempo down for a fat hip-hop influenced outing. Finally Waves weaves off into dubby downtempo territory to close out the EP.

Check out a “micromix” of the tunes below and watch out for the release dropping October 28th.

Prolix & Gridlok – Project Trendkill LP

Longtime collaborators Gridlok and Prolix have teamed up once again for a hefty 8-track album entitled Project Trendkill (from the owners of Project 51 Records and Trendkill Recordings…yeah imaginative guys, hah). Names aside, the album packs punch and detail in equal measure with a mixture of tearout neurofunk rollers like Slingshot and other less obvious productions like the melody driven jungle breaks of Snowed In and the off-kilter rhythms of Lounge Act.

The duo have taken the current economic climate in their stride and taken to Kickstarter to fund pressing the album to vinyl. They’ve already passed their initial goals to press the album to both vinyl and CD but being generous folks they’ve just announced stretch goals to release free sample packs from the album if more money is raised! Check out the beats below and head on over to the kickstarter to support the cause (and preorder the album on your format of choice).

Tol-Man – Planets Part 2 [Brain Network]

Brain Network hit us with their latest digital single from Tol-Man who delivers a pair of hard hitting neurofunk belters. Saturn opens the salvo with trancey synths and plenty of atmosphere on the intro before a heavy hitting bass drop and massive synthetic snare hits knock the tune into gear.

Over on the flip the sci-fi theme continues with the rising synths and filtered breaks of the intro giving way to another another huge drop; fans of Audio and the Virus sound should definitely check this one out. Check out the clips below and pick up a copy from your favourite digital outlet.